Say you are a venture capitalist looking out for inspiring startups to invest in. You listen to three pitches: the first person spends his 30 minutes introducing himself; the second attacks you with an avalanche of cardboard cutouts and verbose grammar.

The third, however, explains in few succinct sentences what his business is all about and then plays a video that endorses all he has said in a very “how-to” manner. I believe you do not need me to tell you which one will leave an indelible mark in your memory.

The truth is, videos have more impact than any other method of information dissemination. We can see its evidence in our addiction to movies, music videos, visual education etc. So it makes sense to use it to market your business as well, doesn’t it?

Perhaps, you are contemplating video marketing or are already applying it without much success. Here are a few tips to help you use video marketing to establish your brand, and get more eyeballs on your business, no matter the platform you using.

Get your viewers hooked in the first few seconds

The first few seconds of your video are the most important; videos see the highest drop off rate within the first 10 seconds. So if viewers do not see anything to entice them and keep them watching, they are likely to move on to something else.

It could be asking an enticing question that you will answer later in the video, presenting what makes you unique, teasing viewers with upcoming content of the video or a combination of any two or more. Anything – relevant and within reason that will keep them watching past the first few seconds is a good idea.

2. Keep your videos ‘visual’

I am sure we have all seen that one video on Facebook or other platforms that looks like a GIF image at best. If you have not, it is a drag, I promise you.

Keep your video alive; recording the whole video from one camera angle makes it feel lethargic. Throughout the duration of the video, determine the best angles for shooting and interchange between them to keep the video fresh and interactive.

Many Facebook videos, for instance, are viewed on mute. This means your videos should be so intriguing that the viewers have to turn on the audio. This tells Facebook that your viewers enjoy your video, which will go a long way in improving your video rank.

3. Determine the appropriate video length

Determining the appropriate length of your video will depend on the type of video and the maximum video length allowed on the platform where you would like to put it up.

But no matter where you choose to upload it, always remember that length matters.

From Vine’s 6 seconds to Facebook’s 120 minutes, different platforms have varying maximum video lengths. If for some reason your videos have to be longer than those allowed on social media platforms, then YouTube is most likely your best platform of choice. Put up the video on there and share the link on your social media platforms.

4. Optimize your video for search

Do not ever put up a video without optimizing it to rank high whenever a relevant search is conducted. This works on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and many other platforms.

Speaking of YouTube, whenever you upload a video to your channel, ensure that you do so privately. This will afford you the chance to optimize the video. Do this with a custom beautiful video thumbnail, a captivating title and description, relevant tags. All these will encourage viewers to click through.

After this, you can change the settings so that the video can be viewed publicly.

5. Keep your viewers interested

You do not stop and rest on your laurels because you garnered a decent amount of viewers for a video you posted. The idea is to keep them interested enough to want to watch subsequent videos so your viewership grows and by consequence your rank in searches.

Always interact with your viewers, reply to their comments and encourage them to share their opinion. Viewers who feel comfortable sharing their opinion soon turn into subscribers.

For live videos, your audience engagement is real time. Make sure that you always reply to let them know that their voices are been heard during the course of the video. Also, mention select comments on air and address them where possible.

6. Give your business that human element

This is the reason why reality TV is a trending niche in the entertainment industry. Seeing your favorite celebrities live their lives in front of the camera makes it easier for you to identify with them.

It creates an illusion of transparency and helps you to be able to connect with them on a more personal level. This psychology should apply to your business too. Create a video that takes your viewers behind the scenes; you can show them how your products are made and who makes them. You can also introduce relevant employees who contribute to the making of your product.

Behind the scenes video can be a powerful branding tool; your own reality show of sorts. It is a great tool for increase in brand loyalty.

Utilize subtitles

I mentioned earlier about how most Facebook videos are played on mute and how boring videos make the viewer not bother to disable the mute.

With subtitles, the audio of your videos become less of an issue. Your viewers will be able to watch your videos anywhere anytime without becoming a nuisance. They could be anywhere whether in a waiting room, in the gym, library or on a plane.

Subtitles along with a visual that is captivating enough will suffice to keep your viewers engaged without having to worry about the audio.